Linux Format staff to launch Linux Voice magazine

A group of staff who quit the computing magazine Linux Format a month ago (“to do something different”) are now launching a rival monthly magazine called Linux Voice. They are raising money for the launch through crowdfunding site IndieGogo, and have already raised over 15 percent of their target (£90,000) in under two days).

Andrew Gregory, the former deputy editor and operations editor at Linux Format, leads the team. Linux Voice, according to Gregory, will be different in three ways:

1. We’ll give 50% of our profits to various free software good causes, directly supporting the Linux community we serve;
2. We’ll release our content under a creative commons licence after nine months, so others can build on the knowledge that we’ve curated;
3. We won’t be part of a large publishing company any more, so we’ll be agile enough to respond to trends as they happen.

Mike Saunders, who has written for Linux Format since the very first issue, and Ben Everard, who worked on Linux Format for two years, writing features, reviews and tutorials, and creating the software-packed DVD that came with the mag, are also part of the team at Linux Voice.

Gregory added: “We’ll have no shareholders or board of directors to answer to; the most important people to us will be the readers.”

“The plan at the moment is to let those who backed us on IndieGogo vote on which charities we’re going to support (the EFF, Free Software Foundation and Young Rewired State in Britain are a few we’re been thinking of), but we’ll also run editorial nominating certain organisations that we think are particularly worthwhile,” he said.